Guides Books

When you want a great recipe, turn to Betty Crocker. But when you want a great recipe for success, turn to Bella Vlasis. Her book helped me out tremendously! And here's why:

Throughout most of my adult life I've been told that I look like a certain celebrity, so on a whim, I moved out here to Los Angeles to pursue jobs in the look-a-like business. But once I got here, I didn't know where to go or who to contact. I bumped into someone at a bookstore who suggested Ms. Vlasis' book and boy it was exactly what I needed!

After reading this step-by-step book thoroughly, I got myself some headshots and found an agent and have been well on my way to success. This book has helped me to gain confidence in what I do and the knowledge to go above and beyond what most others are doing in my line of work. From look-a-likes to agents to actors to performers - I recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the entertainment field. And as the author Ms. Vlasis writes at the end of her bio, "Break a leg!"

Just a quick note to say how pleased I am with Denise Bella Vlasis' latest book. If you produce corporate events, private events or anywhere that you use unique entertainment this is truly a wealth of information. if you think you've got the "look", then this definately is the best road map to success you can find to become a look-a-like and professional entertainer. Thank you Denise for a job well done!

As an agent booking lookalikes, I frequently get calls from people who want to get into the business. I refer them to this book. It will answer all their questions and get them started. There's also lots of excellent resource material for the seasoned performer including a list of agents who book lookalikes. A wealth of good solid information. I highly recommend this book.

this book has really helped me as a look-like-and modeling and acting- I was a student looking for a part-time job and then discovered this book- thank you!

This book covers it all! Not only is it a step by step guide, but Denise provides names, phone numbers, addresses and email addresses for all the services one would need to pursue a look a like career. Everything from photographers to agents. It's easy to read, and the fact that she let professionals write in their own words shows that Denise does not have an ego and you know what you're reading is fact, not an opinion. This is great "how to" book for anybody to read and follow!

I looked at many writing books for my child. A school teacher recommended this one to me. After we used it as the primary writing guide, my child's writing took off. It's so effective that his writing has jumped from average to outstanding in his class. Now the book is one of our two MUST-DOs every week (the other is Beestar online ELA and vocabulary exercises, a wonderful web site www.beestar.org). Writing is a life-long skill. We will continue use this guide to improve writing for a long time.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I am excited about starting to use this method when school starts again. Teaching writing can be difficult, but how to give constructive feedback is even harder. I am optimistic that the ideas in this book will make it a whole lot easier to help my children.

English teachers have it tough -- no matter how hard they try, they cannot avoid a degree of subjectivity when it comes to grading papers. This book, 6+1 TRAITS OF WRITING, will not make the process a totally objective one, but it will provide a definite structure that will be invaluable to both new and experienced teachers alike. In workmanlike fashion, Ruth Culham devotes chapters to the traits (ideas, word choice, sentence fluency, voice, organization, and conventions) PLUS one (presentation) with a series of indicators for teachers to assess each one.

It's a great primer in the technique, and the chapters all follow a similar pattern with definitions of the traits, a list of reasons on why students struggle with that trait, steps on how to assess the trait, and sample papers to practice assessing using the 6 + 1 method. Each sample paper is followed by the scores the author gave it, along with their reasoning. Finally, the chapters are nicely rounded out with a series of practical ideas on how you can TEACH each trait. Teachers trying to get a handle on grading papers will appreciate the practicality and the structure.

The caveats I have with the book are minor. First, the sample papers range from Grades 3 to 9, and it's often difficult to assess sample papers because elementary teachers may not know how far along a secondary student should be and secondary teachers may have no clue about what's expected from third-grade writers. The wide range in ages, in other words, creates a bit of extra confusion for teachers who are well-versed in their own age-group of students. Also, the extra batch of "practice papers" to assess at the back of the book are directly followed by the author's scores, meaning the papers and their scores often share the same page. It would have been more helpful to separate them so as to avoid accidentally seeing a score while trying to finish the paper.

Culham's book is a great start, but a lot more practice assessing will probably be necessary to successfully implement the program. Also, I found that I had many questions about judgment calls while assessing some of the indicators and, in a workshop type setting, could have used further explanation from an experienced hand. Alas, the book cannot provide anything like that, but still, it's a start -- and a good one. Recommended.

As a classroom teacher and workshop leader, I have found this book very useful. It includes sample student papers that can be used by teachers and students to hone their assessment skills. The ideas for teaching each of the traits are concrete ones that students enjoy. When I've read forty papers and have run out of new responses to give my students, there are even lists of responses for me to use. I recommend this book to both new and experienced teachers of writing.

I originally had to buy this book for a graduate level pedagogy course. I ended up using this book constantly to help teach 4th graders how to write. Ruth Culham explains each trait well and includes a handful of awesome lesson plan ideas for students to practice the trait. I'd recommend it as a resource for any writing teacher (Grades 3-12).

Nothing in this book got me excited about going to Mexico. The natural attractions of the U.S. seem to be far more numerous and spectacular. The author was stretching to fill a book on Mexico's natural attractions - he covers ruins, city parks, and agricultural enterprises. The photographs in the book do not convey any beauty of Mexico.

An honest and informative guide to Mexico. The most complete Eco-guide to the National parks and reserves of Mexico that I've ever read. Includes information I've never seen any place else. A good reference source for every region. Well written, easy to read, and very useful. Steve

I am the author of two guidebooks in this series, BELIZE: ADVENTURES IN NATURE and GUATEMALA: ADVENTURES IN NATURE, as well as dozens of travel articles about Latin America (including Mexico). I am flat-out amazed at the breadth, depth, and detail found in Ron Mader's MEXICO: ADVENTURES IN NATURE. Put simply, there has never been a book like this...and there have been hundreds of guides written to Mexico. Nowhere else will you find the information complied here, about everything from whale-watching to birding, turtle-helping to Maya ruin-exploring. These are aspects most tourists never know about, because nobody tells them about much beyond the traditional turista circuit of big hotels, crowded beaches, and mediocre restaurants. If you want to truly experience the incredible diversity of Mexico natural treasures, you'll start by getting your hands on this book! (Particularly useful is the extensive listing of e-mail addresses and websites, as well as practical info about hotels, restaurants, tour services, and transport)

I am the author of the "Adventure Guide to the Yucatan," a guidebook to Mexico's fascinating peninsula . I used Ron Mader's book for reference as we discovered the best of sustainable tourism and nature preservation efforts in Mexico. Mader is right on in his evaluation and helpful comments. Very well organized. More and more people are trying to travel in an environmentally sound manner and we support that in our book as well. Kudos to Mader!

Biodiversity junkies are always ending up off the pavement in the jungles or on mountain tops and wondering where do we get our next meal, and how the hell are we going to get out of here. Mader comes up with answers in a country where surprisingly little has been written to guide the booming ecotourism trade. Lonely Planet and Moon barely scratch the ecotourism surface and brush over Mexico's fantastic national parks and reserves. Mader lives down there so this is no parachute quickie research junket type book. He has done his homework and gone beyond the obvious places (Palenque, Copper Canyon) to explore some of the most remote but best spots. Lucky gringo. I found his book helpful for finding contact leads in Oaxaca and Veracruz states that led to great guided trips with local enviro groups.

I stumbled onto Lou's book by accident, and was very pleased with what I found inside. His honesty and writing style make this book a definite read for photographers considering the commercial world of advertising. His in-depth review of image rights usage, terms and conditions, and details on preparing a bid are all invaluable. Highly recommended.

I bought the book. Two, by accident. Started to read it and thought "I know someone who could use this" (besides myself). I loaned the extra copy to a fellow photographer that does a "commercial photo" class at the institution at which I teach "fashion" (subtitled "forget the crap the other teachers taught and have fun).
Anyway, he liked it so much, he is asking that it become the text book for his class! Truly, although I probably wasn't ready for it, I wish this book had been there when I had graduated from College/Assisting...

Lesko relays equal parts insight, humor and experience into what might otherwise be a droll subject. Surprisingly, I found myself glued to the pages and I before I knew it I had learned something too! A great read.

excellent real world knowledge, with a friendly, real world voice. A photographer who knows the business, and is firm in his knowledge- like he should be. Highly recommended.

Not only does Lou walk you through the intricacies of doing business as a commercial photographer, he offers basic insights and meaningful advice any photographer can use. Further, his style of writing makes this a fun and interesting read. A definate thumbs up.

I don't think I can add to what has been said about Alibi on Ice, other than I was captivated. I haven't enjoyed reading a story like this for a long while. The tension made me shiver as if I was actually on the mountain. Just a very well put together story that kept me asking for more.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book, you won't be disappointed.

I grabbed this book while on vacation out in the Northwest. I had spent some time on Mt. Ranier hiking, and thoroughly enjoyed following Mr. Small's murderer up and down the treacherous trails of that mountain.
It's a good suspense thriller, that transports you to Mt. Ranier, it's ice caves and glaciers. Its characters are well done, and its ending a surprise.
A very satisfying read.

One of the threads I like to talk about to readers is not to pay too much
attention to labels. I mention that labels are a marketing advice and most
books cannot be so definitively described and if the reader reads only the
books that are labeled the type of book they usually enjoy, they will miss
some great stories. I, of course, have my own favorite "types" of stories
(I'm an avowed anglophile--you know what I usually read) and the "thriller"
genre has not been high on my TBR list.

Mea culpa. I recently picked up Ben F. Small's suspense thriller ALIBI ON
ICE and was immediately caught up by the depth of characterization, the fun
of learning about something new to my experience (in this case, mountain
climbing!) and the mesmerizing settings that I assumed (never
assume...) would be absent in an action-oriented book. All of which shows
how narrow-minded I've been all these zillion years!

This was a most entertaining and enjoyable read. The most fascinating
quality of ALIBI ON ICE to me is that the reader knows right off who the bad
guy is, and, believe me, this guy is BAD. Rarely do I yelp out loud from
surprise, but I did while reading the first chapter! The excitement comes
from determining how this truly unpleasant character will be caught and
caught he gets in an amazing climax. I also love stories that take me new
places and I'm relatively confidant that if marooned on an icy mountain, I
have learned enough to get myself safely home, if only in my own mind and if
only on my backside.

So don't waste time the way I did, try something new!

Kit Sloane

The Margot O'Banion & Max Skull Mystery Series

Ben Small is a lawyer, and ALIBI ON ICE is about lawyers, corrupt and murdered lawyers. But the action in this taut police procedural doesn't take place in a courtroom. It occurs on Washington's towering Mount Ranier. And a particular strength of the story is Small's use (in the tradition of Dame Agatha) of the setting not just as backdrop but as a character itself, forcing the human actors to confront the mountain's crevasses, snowfields, glaciers and avalanches as sharply as they confront one another.

The antagonist, Emery Boyd, is a studly but sociopathic climber who uses the mountain to kill and hide the evidence as indifferently as he uses women for sexual gratification and to get information about the police probe into the disappearance of his law firm partner, Herman Klein. Boyd's alibi seems iron-clad, or rather ice-clad: he was seen on the mountain at the time of the murders.

Amy Galler, a female homicide detective from Seattle, goes to the mountain under cover, determined to continue the investigation and confront Boyd. But an unexpected meeting with another climber -- ironically, Boyd's best mountaineering buddy -- leads her into romance, vulnerability and danger.

Small slowly spins up the tension into a craggy climax, moving the characters around like chessmen with ice axes. And the climbing details make it clear that Small has spent more than a few hours on the mountain himself. The ending is terrific: satisfying but completely unexpected. I never saw it coming.

This is an excellent first novel, and I look forward to Small's next one.

If you like action thrillers, this should be a pleaser. Snowy, treacherous Mount Rainier is a major character in ALIBI ON ICE, Ben Small's debut novel. You'll find colorful landscapes as you trudge up the mountain with veteran climbers, learning firsthand what it's like to be there. Emery Boyd, the villain, whom you meet on page one, is as despicable as they come. After murdering a federal judge to keep him from revealing a blackmail plot, Boyd finds it necessary (and enjoyable) to keep eliminating those who get too close to the truth.

The story is filled with interesting, believable characters. They include Detective Amy Galler, who suspects Boyd is a murderer, and Emery's long-time mountain climbing partner, John Whitney. The plot hangs around the disappearance of a partner in Boyd's Seattle law firm, Herman Klein, who was hired to settle the dead judge's estate. Boyd has what looks like a foolproof alibi, being lost in a snowstorm on Mount Rainier at the time of Klein's apparent murder. But Amy Galler follows her suspicions, attempting to enlist Whitney in an effort to break his friend's alibi. Things go from bad to worse, and it appears Boyd has engineered another triumph.

There's also a well-drawn, sleazy newspaper reporter who succeeds in generally gumming up the works. You'll have to read the book to get the rest of the story. And the ending has a neat twist. According to his website, Ben Small has another thriller in the works. If it's as good as this one, you won't want to miss it, either.

If you haven't been to a zoo lately, YOU'RE MISSING OUT. You need to get yourself a copy of America's Best Zoos, read all about what your local zoo has to offer, and plan a trip! Then pick another zoo from the book that looks really cool, and go there too! No two zoos are alike! My family and I have been to seven zoos in two months, and each experience was completely unique--and wonderful. And America's Best Zoos was spot-on in its summary of each zoo.

I dream of traveling the world and seeing elephants and giraffes in Africa, penguins in Antarctica, giant pandas in China and kangaroos in the Australian outback. BUT I have three young children and not a lot of money, so world travel is out for now.

BUT WAIT! Some very brilliant people have brought these amazing exotic animals right to my front door (or at least to a nearby city). I don't think people realize how amazing it is that we get to see hippos and giraffes and giant anteaters and orangutans and lions and capybaras in THE AMERICAN MIDWEST (or wherever you live). And for such a low price!

I take America's Best Zoos with me wherever I go. I can't get enough of the photos and descriptions and valuable advice. Anytime I have a question about a zoo, I find the answer. I'd love to be able to check off every zoo in the book. Someday!

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It shows the ignorant person how truly amazing each zoo is. The two authors have visited nearly all the major zoos in the country and offer very helpful advice on what not to miss at each certain zoo and ways that can make touring the zoos more efficient. Whether or not you are a zoo fanatic like me, this is still a great book

The United States is home to some of the best zoos in the entire world. "America's Best Zoos: A Travel Guide for Fans and Families" is a complete and comprehensive listing of the best places to visit humanely kept wildlife in the United States. Featuring a directory complete with tips, driving directions, listings of rare exotic animals and the niches some of them fill (such as Arizona-Sonoroa's Desert Museum for desert creatures), "America's Best Zoos" is a must-have for any wildlife lover traveling across the country. Highly recommended for community library travel collections.

Living in San Diego, near a great Zoo, I was very interested in reading about it as well as other Zoos. This book has a very attractive cover, which will catch the attention of Zoo lovers. It is well written, has good pictures and makes me want to visit some of the other Zoos.

The way it is divided into areas of the country is very helpful for travelers and I especially like the Appendices with the Top Ten Zoos in Twenty Catagories and each author's picks. I'm sure I'll refer to it frequently and have purchased one for a gift.

When I first received this book, I glanced through and looked and found many of the zoos I have visited in America. I found the Introduction, Going to the Zoo, and Animals to Look for very helpful. I am currently serving as a missionary and living in Liberia, West Africa. Regretfully there are few animals here in the wild and only a couple private zoos - much of this is due to the civil war from '89-'03 - though I keep my eyes open for pygmy hippos and diana monkeys when I am upcountry. I plan to re-visit the Indianapolis Zoo when I return to the US next year. Thanks for a great resource book.

Book seems like it will be really helpful before law school starts. It arrived on time and in promised condition.

The text was as described with no issues. The delivery was prompt and handled in a professional manner. I recommend this seller.

I like the schematic structure of American Legal Systems: A Resource and Reference guide. Once I delved into it, I really appreciated the clear and concise organization of the content as well as the presentation in tables and outlines.

As a novice reader in common law, I found the dual outline approach - from general to particular - very interesting: the concepts are first introduced, anchored and defined; thereafter, further developed into an enabling level of details.

Reference books generally do not explain the hierarchy of concepts. If reading the dictionary is not the most practical way to learn English, reading this book definitely makes exploring the American legal systems much less arduous. It is like the wheels under the car that will bring you there!

BOOK COMMENTS

American Legal System: Most Valuable Navigator of American Law for Foreign Lawyers Liu Junhai "American Legal System: A Resource and Reference Guide", written by Prof. Toni M. Fine, is one of the most practical and concise guidebook for American and foreign lawyers, especially those civil law trained lawyers, who want to gain a clear picture of American legal system within short time. Prof. Fine finished this book not only on the basis of many years of teaching American legal system at prestigious NYU School of Law, but also on the basis of her over ten years of productive academic research in this field. As a Chinese lawyer, I personally have benefited greatly from reading this book. Therefore, I'd like to encourage other foreign lawyers to share the informative knowledge presented in this book.

It is true that you can find innumerable books on American legal system either in bookstores or libraries. However, most of the legal works focus on specific or even very narrow areas of law, so as to satisfy academic exploration requirements. And most commonly used approach for foreign lawyers to learn American legal system is to start from very detailed yet specific areas of law. Therefore, it is natural for readers of this sort of books take it for granted that, they have known American legal system. In fact, what they have learned is only a part of American legal system, not the American legal system as a whole. Almost every body knows exactly the story of Indian blind men, who touched deferent parts of the same elephant, and mistook elephant either as a wall, or as a big fan, etc. To avoid the stupid mistakes made by these poor blind men, Prof. Fine just worked out a very clear picture of American legal system in a condensed form. After reading this book, I found the orientation of American law without difficulties, and got very familiar with basic concepts of American jurisprudence, case law, statutes and legislative history, administrative and other executive law, civil litigation, appellate court review, basic legal citation form, preparation of interoffice memorandums, memorandums of law, and preparation of appellate briefs. In a sense, I'd like to call this book a navigator in the ocean of American law. Before I read this book, I had found no such sort of navigator.

In order to enable readers operate and use the navigator easily and pleasantly, Prof. Fine tried her best in developing this book in a coherent, yet active and enabling way. The designation of the hierarchy of the whole structure of this book, including the headlines and sub-headlines, is very clear, concise and logical. The author also tends to guide the readers have the sight seeing from farther too nearer. For instance, the author introduced the basic concepts of stare decisis, court hierarchy, jurisdiction, dual court system, primary versus secondary authority at the very beginning of this book, and developed them further in details when readers proceed on exploring. Reading this book, is just like exploring a well-designed building group. To keep readers excited instead of tired while reading, the author used over sixty live and narrative charts, and avoided boring legal language. Therefore, almost each and every foreign lawyer or business people with basic English language skills could understand this book very well.

When I introduced this book to my colleagues in China, almost all of them think it necessary to translate this book into Chinese, and publish it in Chinese, so as to make it available to hundreds of thousands Chinese law students, lawyers, legal scholars, business people and general public, who have strong interest in American law. I could not imagine that Chinese students do not have this book as an indispensable refrence book if they want to study American law in the future. Although this book can not replace other American law books in specific areas of law, other books could be understood better and deeper with the assistance of this book as a navigator. I believe it is also true with the counterparts in other countries, especially the civil law countries. Of course, American law school students and business school students having interest in studding American law are also the suitable beneficiaries of this book. It is no wonder why this book has been printed for three times sine it was published in 1997. I sincerely hope and believe this book will be published in more foreign languages, and enable more foreign lawyers use this navigator in skillful and experienced way when they explore American law for either academic purpose or business purpose.

(The reviewer is Arbitrator, Beijing Arbitration Commission; Associate professor & Deputy Director, Department of Business Law & Economic Law, Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Email: junhai@public.east.cn.net; liujunhai_2000@yahoo.com)

If you are coming from a civil law country and want to learn more about the common law system, this book is just perfect for you. I highly recommend it to foreign trained lawyers attending an LL.M. program at an American law school. If you are planning to start your studies this fall, buy and read it this summer and enjoy the headstart and lean back in your first classes.

I like Professor Fine's book not only because it is so eloquently written (reader-friendly - how exceptional in the field of law!), but also for its clarity and conciseness. Especially the numerous charts are extremely useful and show you on one page what other books try to explain to you on 20 pages.

In short, Professor Fine's book will be your loyal companion through your LL.M. year.

My cat was recently very ill, and I had this book not far from my reach at all times. It brought me a tremendous amount of comfort. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a deep and abiding love for all of God's creatures that he created with love and perfection.

This book was so comforting to our family during the time our Boston Terrier ran away from home into the woods. We said the prayer for Return of a Lost Pet day and night. On the 11th day she was found about one and half miles from home,cold,wet and hungry. I don't think she would have lasted another day ,because it started to snow. By the grace of God she was protected by angels. She had no major injuries,only very sore paws. Two days later she's back to herself. A great book to read!!!!

This book was a great inspiration for me.Remembering to keep my pets covered in prayer and protection. Wonderful ideas and thought provoking ! Always a reminder that the Lord wants our pets included in our prayers and they are important to Him.. Thanks for reminding me ! Wonderful Reading ! Highly Recommended !

I use the sample prayers in Animal Prayer Guide daily for my two cats, Sylvester and Rocky. What a great book! The sample prayers are so handy to have, and the whole book is so encouraging. I really like the Blessing of the Animals Service, too. It explains how God wants all His creatures healthy and well, and is an essential daily tool for your animal companions.

I read Niki Behrikis Shanahan's book, Animal Prayer Guide, and used the Memorial Service in it. Having this Memorial Service readily available was especially helpful, as I was at a loss for words or Scriptures to use during this traumatic time. I love the prayers for saying grace, for sick pets, the Blessing of the Animals Service, and all the other prayers that have been prepared and ready for you to customize. She also has interesting stories and photos throughout the book. I'm glad I have this book on hand for any situation that may come my way as a pet parent.

This book contained a lot of advice that I already knew, and some that I didn't know or think about in the past. But reading it all one place gave me the motivation I need to get out of the cube!

When I think of books on being your own boss and running a business, I imagine stuffy old text with boring design and content that wouldn't relate to me either on a generational basis or as a woman. This book defies those stereotypes. Not only is the design fun, casual, and appealing, the author's voice and writing style make the book both approachable and also impossible to put down.

My favorite parts of the book include the summary in list format at the end of each chapter, as well as all the anecdotes and profiles from other successful female business owners. I personally wish there would have been more graphic design related stories in the book as it would have related to me even more, but honestly the stories and quotes all share the same basis of inspiration and goals for women wanting to start their own business.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to start their own enterprise. You will not be disappointed.

This guide is a great way to think through all the ramifications of "living outside the cubical" BEFORE you commit to that lifestyle. The advice is concrete and practical, and extremely helpful for taking your dreams out of your head and putting them into reality.

In making the transition from a full-time job to starting my own gig, I found this book very helpful. Not only did it explain different options for making the leap, but it helps those who don't know what they want to do outside of the cube figure it out. I found the conversational tone of the book to keep the pages turning while offering credible, sound advice.

This book was kind of fun to read. I liked the author's frankness and humor. But I wasn't particularly impressed with how the title of the book was matched to its content. The book totes itself as a supposedly helpful career guide for young women just out of high school or maybe college who work in a cubical in an office environment. And it explains how young women can do some investigating and networking to learn about opportunities outside of a cube. But many of the opportunities discussed in this book were 9 to 5 JOBS. And the title says it is against such career moves.

I would have liked the book much better if it had stuck to explaining how to get out of a cube and make the transition into self-employment. Or if the title were changed, I would have like the book much better if it had only explained how to escape a cube into a more meaningful and lucrative job with an office or a company car. Of course, I wouldn't have pulled this book from the bookstore shelf if it was about the latter because I pretty much just review books that relate to my volunteering for SCORE, the small business coaching nonprofit.

The part of the book that I enjoyed the most was the author's story of how she had found herself stuck in a cube at age 24 and not doing what she wanted to do with her life - which was to do freelance writing. She decided to quit her job and start her own freelancing small business. And she found she couldn't make money at it at first - but she was resourceful and started temping in order to pay her bills while she got her business off the ground. Of course, I would have liked her story better if she were to have said she got her business WELL off the ground within a year or two. But unfortunately she says she continues to dabble in temping jobs from time to time to make ends meet. That doesn't sound like she has really accumulated enough of her own success to be writing this book, but some company did publish it and there are quite a number of positive book reviews posted on Amazon for it. So who am I to judge?

My favorite chapters were "I want a more flexible work schedule" (4), and "I want to be my own boss" (6). These two chapters were right on point when it comes to dumping a day job and starting one's own business. And in the book's appendix I very much liked "A Temp's Survival Guide" and "Boss in a Box." The "Must-See Resources" section in the appendix also seemed to be fairly informative. The checklists at the end of each chapter were well-thought out, too. 4 stars!

This book gives a detailed overview on what to expect once you get the butter bars pinned on you. It delves into a considerable amount of detail into topics such as army customs to obey, UCMJ laws that you should already know (but can't hurt to refresh upon) and other topics. If you are currently in OCS or are thinking about becoming an officer there is also a guide to the different branch opportunities that are available to Army officers such as aviation, infantry, intel, ect. Overall a great book that is definitely written and geared for current or aspiring officers.

Every Army officer whould have a copy of this book, both as a reference and as a guide to many aspects of Army life. Its never been superceded except by new editions because it is the definitive guide.

I'm currently serving as a Captain in the Air Force with Space Command. There's a possibility I might transfer to the Army through Blue to Green. Since I wouldn't be attending any type of OCS, I have to learn as much as I can on my own. This book has described all the branches, career paths, promotions, etc. It's been an invaluable tool and helped me make my decision an where to go in the Army - Military Police Corps.

This reference will tell you everything you need to know and more about being an Army officer.

I read this before Basic, and it made my life a lot easier. It's full of "somebody should have told me" information. I bought an older version than is currently available, which doesn't have the ACUs or beret, but much of the information is a hundred years old and still relevant.